1. Field
The present invention generally relates to wheel assemblies and the manner of their mounting to and removal from an axle, and more particularly, to wheel and hub assemblies used on refuse carts and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of plastic wheels on a variety of products has dramatically increased in recent years. One area where such plastic wheels have been widely employed is on wheeled refuse or garbage carts or bins of the type commonly employed by homeowners for their trash. These carts traditionally have plastic wheels that are mounted on the ends of a metal axle by a hub member or push-on hat fastener (sometimes referred to as “pawl nut”). The wheel hub is hammered onto the end of the axle to hold the wheel in place. Removal of such plastic wheels in order to replace or repair the wheel or the cart can be difficult because the hammered push-on hat fasteners or hubs require special tools for their removal, or essentially must be destroyed to remove them from the axle. Sometimes this process also damages the axles. Wheel-mounting sleeve assemblies have been devised which snap-on to a pre-machined axle to hold the wheel to the axle. However, these snap-on wheel assemblies have been unduly complex, visually unappealing, and poorly suited to the shock loading and vibration commonly encountered.